Despite a relatively late night for me, I was up before sunrise and headed to the spa. The first few miles of hiking are usually tough, as my muscles stretch out for the long haul. I was determined to use the spa to minimize that breaking in period. I had the place to myself, and enjoyed the view of San Jacinto turning pink then orange with the rising sun.
John joined me for a swim, after which we went for a hearty breakfast. We polished off three breakfast specials between the two of us, then back for another swim before heading out. On the way to the trail we stopped by a Mexican market and adjacent restaurant, which John proclaimed to be "the real deal." We grabbed burritos and set off.
At the trail John was pushing for me to leave my pack with him and let him meet me upriver. My gear, however, has become an extension of my body, so it was almost like asking to just leave an arm and pick it up later. We compromised, and I left him with 6 pounds of food, which probably brought my pack down to around 30 or 35 pounds.
I started at noon, and with a lighter pack made good progress. The trail heads up an alluvial fan before turning east up a small canyon. The canyon dog legs to the north, at which point it passes a wind farm on a low ridge. The canyon continues, gaining a total of 1800 feet before coming to a saddle with an adjoining drainage. This was a brutal stretch, with today being the hottest day of the year so far (according to a local we met). The temperature was 101 down in the valley, and in this narrow canyon with rock walls I would not have been surprised if the temperature were closer to 105.
After reaching the saddle the trail descends steeply, then ascends, descends toward the Whitewater River, ascends again, and finally reaches the river bottom. The elevation started at 1400 at highway 10, made it up to 3200, and eventually worked its way back down to 2400. There was a lot of unnecessary ups and downs which is frustrating but seems to be an ever present theme on the PCT. It's almost like a cryptic zen thing. He who wish to go down must first learn to go up.
Whitewater River is amazing. I came out to find a rushing river, warm enough to sit in as long as you like. I met John at the campground here and then reviewed the route. 10.7 miles in about 3.5 hours. Not too bad!
I spoke to the ranger, who said there might be patches of snow along a three mile section way up in the mountains, but that I shouldn't have much trouble at all. John and I toasted to that with cold beer. I ate a huge dinner or lengua burrito (cow tongue, yummy). Unfortunately I have wifi at the ranger station but no phone service. This may be the last reception until Big Bear City in three days.
By the way, weighed myself at the RV park. I've lost 10 or 12 pounds so far.
